UK girl's name
Shara
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "songstress" or "singer".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shara is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shara popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5581, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 18 births.
This profile covers 123 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1996 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 17% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 122 living people in the UK are called Shara. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2022 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shara ranked #5581 for girls in England and Wales in 2021, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 18 girls were registered as Shara.
- • About 122 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shara as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5581
2021
Births in 2021
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
18 births
Estimated living
122
2026
Meaning
What does Shara mean?
The name Shara is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest languages in the world, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "शर" (shara), which means "arrow" or "missile." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with warriors, hunters, or those skilled in archery.
In ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Puranas, there are references to characters and deities with names containing the root "shara." For example, in the Mahabharata, one of the greatest epics in Sanskrit literature, there is a character named Sharadhvaja, which means "one whose emblem is an arrow."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shara can be traced back to ancient India, where it was used predominantly by Hindus. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Shara Samrat, an Indian ruler who reigned in the 6th century BCE in what is now the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shara. Shara Gauri was a 10th-century Hindu philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of algebra. Shara Devi was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived in the 20th century and was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the Odissi dance form.
In the realm of literature, Shara Purnima was a celebrated Bengali poet and writer who lived in the 19th century and was known for her romantic poetry. Shara Souhardo was an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter who fought against British colonial rule in the early 20th century.
Another prominent figure with the name Shara was Shara Khatun, a 13th-century princess and regent of the Delhi Sultanate, who ruled over parts of northern India during a tumultuous period in the region's history.
While the name Shara has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hinduism, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and languages over the centuries, with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shara over time
The chart below shows babies named Shara registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shara, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2021, compared with 18 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shara by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shara was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5581 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4729 | 35 | 8 |
| 2000s | #3255 | 44 | 8 |
| 1990s | #1793 | 41 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Shara
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Shara: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shara in the UK right now?
In 2021, Shara was ranked #5581 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shara most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 18 babies registered as Shara in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shara?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "songstress" or "singer".
How many people are called Shara in the UK?
A total of 123 babies have been registered as Shara across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.